F+W TEAMS WITH NBC SPORTS ON FANTASY SPORTS EVENTS

NBC Sports and F+W Publications announced a partnership this week that will offer fans the opportunity to take part in a multi-city, fantasy football event with live drafts across the U.S.
The new NBC Sports Fantasy Football Championship gives fantasy players the chance to win a $100,000 grand prize. The live draft event will be held Saturday, Aug. 30 simultaneously in Las Vegas, New York, Chicago and Orlando, and will offer more than $1 million in total prize money.
NBC Sports plans to showcase this event through its flagship fantasy sports website, Rotoworld.com, along with many other promotions on and off the Internet. Rotoworld.com is the largest pure-play fantasy sports news website delivering timely, comprehensive and insightful player news to millions of fantasy football fans.

The Iola, Wis.-based sports group of F+W has been publishing fantasy sports magazines since 1990 and has hosted live fantasy events in baseball and football.

The NBC Sports Fantasy Football Championship is patterned after another live event the two companies will host and promote. The National Fantasy Football Championship was launched by F+W in 2004 as the industry's premiere 14-team league format contest. Over the last four years, more than $1.5 million in prizes has been awarded to players, including a $100,000 grand prize each year. The NFFC drafts will also be held in Las Vegas, New York, Chicago and Orlando on Aug. 30 starting at 1 p.m. ET with 392 teams competing for the grand prize. With two major titles and two major grand prizes at stake and with two unique game formats, it will be the ultimate Draft Day experience for die-hard fantasy football players. The partnership will also include an online national fantasy football championship and private online league contests.

NBC Sports and F+W Publications will also partner to host the National Fantasy Baseball Championship, which is currently in its fifth season, and will award more than $900,000 in prize money in 2009 with a similar $100,000 grand prize. The NBC Sports Fantasy Baseball Championship will host drafts each March in four cities.